amarhealth.com

Health Desk: 12 February 2018: People who frequently crack jokes about themselves to gain approval of others have greater levels of psychological well-being, a study has found.

The findings, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, contradict some of the research carried out to date in the psychology of humor.

Up until now, a significant deal of the research literature has suggested that self-defeating humor is exclusively associated with negative psychological effects among individuals who regularly employ this style of humor.

“In particular, we have observed that a greater tendency to employ self-defeating humor is indicative of high scores in psychological well-being dimensions such as happiness and, to a lesser extent, sociability,” said Jorge Torres Marin from the University of Granada in Spain.

“The results, as well as being consistent with the positive connotations traditionally attributed to the act of laughing at oneself in our country, also suggest that the effects of self-defeating humor on well-being may differ depending on where the research takes places,” Marin said.

Nonetheless, researchers also point out that certain styles of humor may be employed to conceal negative intentions and feelings.